1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera that obtains image signals by forming a subject image at a solid image-capturing element.
2. Description of Related Art
There is an electronic camera known in the related art having a solid image-capturing element constituted with a CCD, which reads out electrical charges stored at the CCD and records the electrical charges thus read out into a recording medium as image information. In an electronic camera that includes a specific type of CCD such as a frame transfer type CCD or an interline 2-field read out type CCD, the electrical charge read needs to be executed by shielding the CCD from light. In an electronic camera having another type of CCD, too, the read needs to be executed with the CCD shielded from light in a similar manner in order to achieve a higher image quality by effectively preventing the so-called smear phenomenon, in which electrical charges overflowing from the CCD pixels enter the transfer unit and streaks of light are generated along the vertical direction in the image plane. The electronic camera disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. H11-122542, which includes a shutter mechanism for opening/closing a set of shutter blades, addresses this need by shielding the image-capturing element from light until an electrical charge storage starts, opening the photographic opening during the electrical charge storage and then shielding the image-capturing element from light again once the electrical charge storage is completed.
The electronic camera described above includes a plurality of levers and the like and a plurality of springs for driving the shutter blades to allow the use of a focal plane shutter device in the related art in conjunction with the electronic camera. These levers and the like are held at their initial positions against the forces applied by the springs prior to a photographing operation start. Once the photographing operation starts, the levers having been held are sequentially released, thereby opening the shutter. When the electrical charge storage is completed, the levers and the like are reset to the initial positions and thus the shutter is closed. Such an electronic camera in the related art needs to include parts such as drive cams for driving the levers and the springs in addition to the plurality of levers and springs, which means that the number of required parts is large to give rise to problems related to the cost and the parts mounting space.